Bendigo

An interesting fact about Australia is that despite its immense size,  around 60% of the population live in the five biggest cities (Sydney,  Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide). By comparison, the figure for America, a country of similar area when Alaska is not included, is about 6%. As a result of Australia's sparse population, my current location Bendigo is inside the nation's twenty biggest urban areas, although at around 100,000 people it is smaller than Cheltenham.

Bendigo is just two hours inland from Melbourne by train, but is seldom visited by backpackers. I have found myself here through the website Helpx. Helpx is a system that pairs farms/households/businesses looking for workers with travellers who are willing to work in exchange for free accommodation and food. My hosts in Bendigo are a lovely family who just have a few simple tasks for me such as mowing the lawn and cleaning the pool. Therefore this week represents a transition in my Australian adventure, as for the first time I am not residing in hostels. And what a glorious transition it has been. Hostels can certainly be a lot of fun and are a great place to meet people, but after almost fifty consecutive days in them the change is most welcome. Hot, crowded bedrooms have been swapped for a cool, single room. Small beds with crap mattresses have been traded for a large bed with a decent mattress. Pasta, bread, and cheese have been exchanged for roast lamb, barbequed meat, and scrumptious desserts. And finally, cheap lagers and three dollar bottles of wine have been switched with craft beers and proper wines. (There are other differences too but I've ran out of synonyms for 'swapped'.)

Over the course of a drive last night and cycle today, I've found Bendigo to be an agreeable place. Bendigo is of historical significance due to the discovery of gold in the 1850s and subsequent gold rush. Today, the city is dotted with fine Victorian era architecture and the influence of the many Cornish miners who came over to the city in search of work can be found in the bakeries, where traditional pasties are still being cooked up. Meanwhile, the impact of the British is obvious across the city - quaint bowling and croquet clubs sit side by side and a central street is named Pall Mall. Furthering the historic feel of the city is an old fashioned brown tourist tram and an impressive cathedral, although my hosts informed me that this wasn't built until 1977. The center of Bendigo is compact and pleasing to walk around, a decent portion of the stores are local businesses and the lush greens of Rosalind Park are in stark contrast to the sun baked  grass that colour the city yellow. If there is one place in the town I would like to while away my time, it would be on one of the many glorious cricket pitches. In particular, the Queen Elizabeth Oval is a well kept ground with an elegant stand. It didn't take much imagination to picture a moustachioed man from a bygone era flicking a ball away to the boundary to a ripple of polite applause from the clubhouse. Overall Bendigo is very sporty and even boasts a number of grass tennis courts and a velodrome of sorts.

An unheralded attraction of Bendigo is an innocuous field to the East of the city that is popular with kangaroos. Yesterday evening, this was where I saw these wonderful animals for the first time. They were chilling close to the road, so I got a great view of a cute joey sitting snugly in its mother's pouch and the kangaroos hopped around in such a classically cartoonish manner that it was hard to believe it was real life. Will I eat one if I get the chance? Probably.

Looking out across Rosalind Park and the City of Bendigo